Electrical Service Entrance
Rewritten so the service standard owns what makes equipment service equipment (utility coordination, metering, disconnect count, SUSE, fault-current marking, GFPE) and leaves construction to the switchboard, switchgear, switch and panelboard standards; grounding moves to grounding-and-bonding.
Showing changes from Rev 3
to Rev 4
in Electrical Service Entrance.
---
title: Electrical Service Entrance
category: Electrical / Power Distribution Equipment
−toc_depth: 3
description: >
− When to use: design, specification, and installation of low-voltage (600 V class) electrical service entrances for commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential buildings — from the utility point of delivery through the service disconnecting means. Covers overhead service drops and underground laterals, service-entrance conductors, weatherheads and risers, meter sockets and metering enclosures, combination service-entrance devices (CSEDs / meter-mains), service disconnects, ground-fault protection of equipment (GFPE), emergency disconnects, service enclosures, and the utility-to-owner interface, for new construction and service upgrades at 120/240 V 1Φ, 120/208 V 3Φ, 277/480 V 3Φ, and other 600 V class utility services.
− Not intended for: distribution switchboards and switchgear downstream of the service disconnect (use [[sync/low-voltage-switchboards]]); service-point and pad-mounted transformers (use [[sync/medium-voltage-transformers]]); grounding electrode conductors, ground rods, and bonding jumpers (use [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]); revenue metering instruments and power monitoring beyond the basic utility meter socket (use [[sync/electrical-power-monitoring]]); motor starters and branch overcurrent devices (use [[sync/combination-motor-starters]]); generator paralleling and automatic transfer switches at the service entrance; and medium-voltage (>600 V) primary services and primary metering.
+ When to use: The electrical service to a building or structure at 1000 V and below, from the serving utility's point of delivery through the service disconnecting means. Covers coordination with the serving utility and the utility's published service requirements as a project fact, the overhead drop and underground lateral arrangements, the routing of the service-entrance conductors and the NFPA 70 Article 230 rules that apply to them, service masts and weatherheads, meter sockets, current transformer cabinets and the metering enclosures the utility requires, the number, grouping, location, and marking of the service disconnects, the available fault current marking, the surge protective device the service requires, ground-fault protection of equipment at the service, the emergency disconnect, field testing of the service before energization, installation, warranty, and spares, for new services and service upgrades on single-phase and three-phase systems.
+ Not intended for: the construction of a switchboard that is service equipment ([[sync/low-voltage-switchboards]]); the construction of power circuit breaker switchgear that is service equipment ([[sync/low-voltage-switchgear]]); the construction of a stand-alone enclosed disconnect or enclosed circuit breaker applied as the service disconnecting means ([[sync/enclosed-switches-and-disconnects]]); a panelboard that is service equipment ([[sync/panelboards]]); a transfer switch built as service equipment ([[sync/automatic-transfer-switches]]); the busway assembly, its housing, its joints, its hangers, and its fittings ([[sync/busway]]); the unit substation assembly ([[sync/secondary-unit-substations]]); the service conductors themselves, their material, insulation, ampacity, parallel sets, splices, and terminations ([[sync/distribution-feeder-cables]]); the raceway as a product and its supports ([[sync/raceways-and-conduit]]); the concrete-encased duct bank and its cover ([[sync/underground-ductbank]]); the pull and splice structures along the lateral ([[sync/utility-manholes-and-handholes]]); the grounding electrode system, the grounding electrode conductor, the main bonding jumper, the supply-side bonding, and the intersystem bonding termination ([[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]); the surge protective device as a product with its ratings, modes, and lead length ([[sync/surge-protective-devices]]); the Owner's meters, their accuracy class, their current transformers, and the monitoring they report to ([[sync/electrical-power-monitoring]]); a customer-owned pad-mounted transformer ahead of the service ([[sync/medium-voltage-transformers]]); a primary service above 1000 V, whose service equipment is the lineup built under [[sync/metal-enclosed-interrupter-switchgear]] or [[sync/medium-voltage-switchgear]] and whose revenue metering is the utility's primary metering; the interconnection of an interactive photovoltaic source on the supply side of the service disconnect ([[sync/photovoltaic-systems]]); temporary construction power ([[sync/temporary-facilities-and-controls]]); the label stock, lettering, and attachment of field markings ([[sync/equipment-labeling]]); and the short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies that establish the ratings, the settings, and the label values the service is built to ([[sync/short-circuit-study]], [[sync/protective-coordination-study]], [[sync/arc-flash-study]]).
---
# Scope {toc}
−## This standard governs the electrical service entrance: the equipment and conductors that carry electrical power from the utility point of delivery to and through the service disconnecting means for a building or structure. {note}
+## This standard governs the service: the arrangement of the conductors and equipment that carry power from the serving utility's point of delivery to and through the service disconnecting means, the utility's requirements that shape that arrangement, and the field work that puts the service into operation. {note}
−## The service entrance is the legal and physical boundary between utility-owned infrastructure and customer-owned premises wiring. {note}
+## The service point is where the serving utility's facilities end and the premises wiring begins. Upstream of it the utility builds to IEEE C2 and its own standards and the Contractor's part is coordination, raceway, pads, and mounting provisions; downstream of it the work is premises wiring under NFPA 70 Article 230, and the service disconnecting means is the point at which the rest of the distribution system, governed by other standards, begins. {note}
−## Everything downstream of the service disconnect — the building's feeders, branch circuits, and distribution equipment — is governed by other standards. Everything upstream of the point of delivery is the serving utility's responsibility under IEEE C2 (NESC), not the National Electrical Code, and is not in the contractor's scope except for the coordination, conduit, and mounting provisions this standard requires. {note}
+## Service equipment is a product built under the standard for its construction. A switchboard that is service equipment is built under [[sync/low-voltage-switchboards]], power circuit breaker switchgear under [[sync/low-voltage-switchgear]], a stand-alone enclosed switch or enclosed circuit breaker under [[sync/enclosed-switches-and-disconnects]], a panelboard under [[sync/panelboards]], and a transfer switch with an integral service disconnect under [[sync/automatic-transfer-switches]]. This standard states what makes that equipment service equipment and how it is arranged at the service; it does not restate its construction. {note}
−## Service equipment furnished and installed under this standard shall be listed and labeled for use as service equipment.
+## The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: {note}
−## The work shall comply with NFPA 70 (NEC) Article 230, the serving utility's electric service requirements manual, and the authority having jurisdiction.
+- the service conductors as a product, their sizing to the calculated load, their terminations, and their acceptance tests, under [[sync/distribution-feeder-cables]]
+- the raceways that carry the service conductors, their supports, and the burial cover of a direct-buried raceway, under [[sync/raceways-and-conduit]]
+- the concrete-encased duct bank and the manholes and handholes along a lateral, under [[sync/underground-ductbank]] and [[sync/utility-manholes-and-handholes]]
+- the grounding electrode system, the grounding electrode conductor, the main bonding jumper, the bonding of the service raceways and enclosures, and the intersystem bonding termination, under [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]
+- the surge protective device as a product, under [[sync/surge-protective-devices]]
+- the Owner's metering and power monitoring, under [[sync/electrical-power-monitoring]]
+- a customer-owned transformer ahead of the service, under [[sync/medium-voltage-transformers]]
+- the short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies, under [[sync/short-circuit-study]], [[sync/protective-coordination-study]], and [[sync/arc-flash-study]]
+- the room that houses the service equipment, under [[sync/electrical-rooms]]
−## Where the serving utility's published requirements are more restrictive than this standard, the utility's requirements shall govern for all equipment on the utility side of the point of delivery, including metering provisions.
+## A transformer owned by the serving utility is a project fact rather than an item of this work: its location, its secondary voltage, and the terminals it offers are read from the utility's design and recorded on the contract drawings, and nothing in this standard specifies it. {note}
−## Utilities maintain approved-equipment lists, meter-socket jaw configurations, current-transformer ratios, and mounting-height rules that override a generic specification. Confirming these before rough-in is a recurring source of rejected work when skipped. {note}
+## The work shall comply with NFPA 70 Article 230, with the serving utility's published electric service requirements, and with the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction.
−## This standard does not cover automatic transfer switches or generator connections made at the service entrance. {note}
+## Where the serving utility's published requirements and this standard differ for the metering provisions, the service point arrangement, or any equipment the utility must accept before it connects the service, the utility's requirements shall govern that item, and the Contractor shall report the difference to the Engineer of Record in writing before the affected equipment is ordered.
−## Automatic transfer switch and generator connection arrangements at the service entrance shall be specified separately and coordinated with this standard.
+## The service point, the route of the service conductors, and the location of the service equipment shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the electrical site plan]].
+## Where a value stated on the one-line diagram for a particular service differs from the datasheet selection under this standard, the one-line diagram shall govern for that service.
+
# Referenced Standards {toc}
## Equipment, materials, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
−## Where referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
+## Where the contract documents, the serving utility's requirements, the authority having jurisdiction, or two referenced standards impose conflicting requirements, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
| Standard | Title |
|----------|-------|
−| NFPA 70 | National Electrical Code (Article 230 — Services) |
+| NFPA 70 | National Electrical Code (Articles 110, 230, 250, and 300) |
| NFPA 70E | Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace |
−| IEEE C2 | National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) |
−| UL 869A | Reference Standard for Service Equipment |
+| IEEE C2 | National Electrical Safety Code |
+| IEEE 1584 | Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations |
| UL 414 | Meter Sockets |
−| UL 67 | Panelboards |
−| UL 489 | Molded-Case Circuit Breakers, Molded-Case Switches, and Circuit-Breaker Enclosures |
+| UL 869A | Reference Standard for Service Equipment |
| UL 98 | Enclosed and Dead-Front Switches |
+| UL 489 | Molded-Case Circuit Breakers, Molded-Case Switches, and Circuit-Breaker Enclosures |
+| UL 67 | Panelboards |
+| UL 891 | Switchboards |
+| UL 1558 | Metal-Enclosed Low-Voltage Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear |
+| UL 1053 | Ground-Fault Sensing and Relaying Equipment |
+| UL 1449 | Surge Protective Devices |
+| UL 50 | Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Non-Environmental Considerations |
+| UL 50E | Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Environmental Considerations |
| NEMA 250 | Enclosures for Electrical Equipment (1000 Volts Maximum) |
−| ANSI/NEMA PB 2 | Deadfront Distribution Switchboards |
−| ASCE 7 | Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures |
+| ANSI C12.7 | Requirements for Watthour Meter Sockets |
+| EUSERC | Electric Utility Service Equipment Requirements Committee Manual |
+| ANSI/NETA ATS | Standard for Acceptance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and Systems |
+| ASCE 7 | Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (Chapter 13) |
−# Utility Coordination and Point of Delivery {toc}
+# Submittals {toc}
−## The point of delivery (POD) is the location where the serving utility's conductors terminate and ownership transfers to the customer. {note}
+## Action Submittals {toc}
−## For an overhead service, the POD is typically the service-drop attachment point at the weatherhead. For an underground service, it is typically the secondary terminals of the utility transformer or a designated junction. The POD divides NESC-governed (utility) work from NEC-governed (customer) work; misplacing it produces scope disputes and double-counted or orphaned equipment. {note}
+### The Contractor shall submit the following for review before any service equipment, meter socket, or metering enclosure is ordered:
−## The point of delivery shall be [[drawing: as indicated on the electrical site plan]].
+- a service arrangement drawing showing the service point, the route and the wiring method of the service conductors, the mast or the lateral, the meter socket or the metering enclosure, each service disconnect, the working space, and the mounting of each enclosure, with the dimensions from grade and from the building
+- product data for each meter socket, current transformer cabinet, meter-main, metering enclosure, service rack, and weatherhead, identifying the listing and, for metering equipment, the serving utility's approval number or its place on the utility's approved equipment list
+- the serving utility's written acceptance of the service arrangement drawing and of the metering equipment proposed
+- the serving utility's written statement of the available fault current at the service point and the date of that statement, together with the short-circuit current rating of the service equipment proposed, taken from that equipment's own submittal
+- the mast size, material, and support calculation, where an overhead service is furnished
−## The Contractor shall obtain the serving utility's current electric service requirements manual before specifying or ordering any service equipment.
+```datasheet
+label: Action Submittals
+type: checkbox
+options:
+ - "Service arrangement drawing"
+ - "Meter socket, metering enclosure, and service hardware product data"
+ - "Utility acceptance of the arrangement and the metering equipment"
+ - "Utility available fault current statement and the service equipment rating"
+ - "Mast size and support calculation"
+default:
+ - "Service arrangement drawing"
+ - "Meter socket, metering enclosure, and service hardware product data"
+ - "Utility acceptance of the arrangement and the metering equipment"
+ - "Utility available fault current statement and the service equipment rating"
+constraint: all_of
+```
−## The Contractor shall submit the utility service application and obtain utility approval of the service-entrance arrangement before commencing rough-in.
+### No service equipment, meter socket, or metering enclosure shall be ordered until the action submittals covering it have been reviewed and returned and the serving utility's acceptance has been received.
−## The available fault current at the service point shall be requested in writing from the serving utility during design.
+### The submittal that most often comes back rejected is the metering equipment, because a meter socket or a current transformer cabinet that is listed and correctly rated is still refused if it is not on the serving utility's approved list or does not match the jaw arrangement, the bypass, and the sealing provisions the utility's requirements call for. {note}
−## An assumed or rule-of-thumb fault current is not an acceptable basis for service-equipment selection. The AFC sets the minimum short-circuit current rating (SCCR / AIC) for all service equipment. Specifying equipment with an AIC below the actual utility fault current is a safety defect, not merely a code violation; it cannot be discovered by inspection of a nameplate alone and must be designed against from a utility-furnished value. {note}
+## Informational Submittals {toc}
−## The metering arrangement — self-contained (socket) metering or current-transformer (CT) metering — shall be coordinated with the serving utility, and CT ratios shall match the utility's revenue meter and data-acquisition requirements.
+### The Contractor shall submit the following with or before the action submittals:
−## Utility easement and right-of-way constraints for underground lateral routing and transformer pad placement shall be coordinated with the civil and site work before the service location is fixed.
+- the edition and date of the serving utility's electric service requirements the work is based on
+- the utility service application and the utility's work order or job number
+- the qualifications of the firm and the technicians who will perform field acceptance testing
+- the ground-fault protection performance test procedure, where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at the service
+- the schedule of utility inspections, the utility release, and the energization date, as agreed with the utility
−## The service entry type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+```datasheet
+label: Informational Submittals
+type: checkbox
+options:
+ - "Utility service requirements edition"
+ - "Utility service application and work order"
+ - "Field testing firm and technician qualifications"
+ - "Ground-fault protection performance test procedure"
+ - "Utility inspection, release, and energization schedule"
+default:
+ - "Utility service requirements edition"
+ - "Utility service application and work order"
+ - "Field testing firm and technician qualifications"
+ - "Utility inspection, release, and energization schedule"
+constraint: all_of
+```
+## Closeout Submittals {toc}
+
+### The Contractor shall submit the following before the service is accepted:
+
+- record drawings showing the service point, the as-built route and depth of the lateral or the as-built mast and attachment, the metering equipment, and each service disconnect as installed
+- the field acceptance test report for the service, giving every measured value, the acceptance criterion applied, and the tester's determination
+- the ground-fault protection performance test record required by NFPA 70 230.95(C), where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at the service
+- the available fault current value marked on the service equipment, the date it was calculated, and the calculation or utility statement it came from
+- the serving utility's release for connection and the record of the meter set, with the meter numbers
+- the warranty certificate for each item of equipment furnished under this standard, with the warranty commencement date
+- a signed receipt from the Owner for the spare parts delivered
+
```datasheet
−label: Service entry type
−type: radio
−drawing_ref: "electrical site plan"
+label: Closeout Submittals
+type: checkbox
options:
− - Overhead service drop (weatherhead and riser)
− - Underground service lateral
−default: deferred
+ - "Record drawings"
+ - "Field acceptance test report"
+ - "Ground-fault protection performance test record"
+ - "Available fault current marking record"
+ - "Utility release and meter set record"
+ - "Warranty certificate"
+ - "Spare parts receipt"
+default:
+ - "Record drawings"
+ - "Field acceptance test report"
+ - "Available fault current marking record"
+ - "Utility release and meter set record"
+ - "Warranty certificate"
+ - "Spare parts receipt"
+constraint: all_of
```
−# Service Characteristics {toc}
+# Quality Assurance {toc}
−## The service voltage, phase configuration, and number of wires shall match the serving utility's available distribution and the building's calculated load.
+## Installer Qualifications {toc}
−## Three configurations dominate low-voltage services: 120/240 V single-phase three-wire (most residential and light commercial), 120/208 V three-phase four-wire (commercial with mixed lighting and three-phase motor load), and 277/480 V three-phase four-wire (larger commercial and industrial, where 277 V lighting and 480 V motors reduce conductor size and losses). Three-wire delta and high-leg delta services remain in service on older commercial and industrial premises and are still offered by some utilities. {note}
+### The service shall be installed by an electrical contractor licensed in the jurisdiction of the project whose metering installations the serving utility accepts.
−## The main disconnect voltage rating shall match the system voltage per NEC 230.82.
+### The Contractor shall perform the work on the utility side of the service point only where the serving utility's requirements assign that work to the customer, and only to the utility's published detail.
−## A single service shall supply the building unless the conditions of NEC 230.2 for additional services are met and documented.
+## Service Equipment Listing {toc}
−## The service voltage and phase configuration shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### Every item of equipment in which the service disconnecting means is installed shall be listed and marked as suitable for use as service equipment under UL 869A and the product standard for its construction.
+### Every meter socket shall be listed to UL 414, and every current transformer cabinet and metering enclosure shall be listed to UL 50 and UL 50E and shall be accepted by the serving utility for the metering it houses.
+
+### A meter-main that combines a meter socket and the service disconnect in one enclosure shall be listed to UL 414 for the socket and to UL 67 or UL 489 for the disconnect section, and shall be marked as suitable for use as service equipment.
+
+## Rating Verification {toc}
+
+### The Engineer of Record shall confirm, before any service equipment is released for manufacture, that its short-circuit current rating as submitted is not less than the available fault current the serving utility states at the service point.
+
+### The available fault current at the service point is the one input to the equipment rating that cannot be calculated from the premises side, because it depends on the utility's transformer and its primary system, and a rating selected without the utility's figure is a guess. {note}
+
+## Field Testing Firm {toc}
+
+### Field acceptance testing of the service shall be performed by the firm indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Service voltage and phase
+label: Field Acceptance Testing Firm
type: radio
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
options:
− - 120/240 V 1Φ 3-wire
− - 120/208 V 3Φ 4-wire
− - 120/240 V 3Φ 4-wire (high-leg delta)
− - 240 V 3Φ 3-wire (delta)
− - 277/480 V 3Φ 4-wire
− - 480 V 3Φ 3-wire (delta)
−default: deferred
+ - "Independent testing firm accredited to ANSI/NETA ATS"
+ - "Manufacturer's field service organization"
+ - "Installing contractor's own technicians"
```
−## The service ampacity shall be as indicated in the datasheet and shall be not less than the calculated load determined under NEC Article 220.
+### The technicians who perform field acceptance testing shall meet the qualification requirements of [[sync/electrical-acceptance-testing]].
+### An independent firm reports against a published acceptance standard with no stake in the result; the manufacturer's organization is already on site where start-up of the service equipment is furnished under its product standard; the installing contractor's own technicians cost least and work to the installer's schedule. Which the Owner wants depends on whether a report from the party that installed the service satisfies the Owner's insurer and the authority having jurisdiction. {note}
+
+# Environmental and Service Conditions {toc}
+
+## Enclosure Type {toc}
+
+### The enclosure type of each meter socket, current transformer cabinet, metering enclosure, and meter-main furnished under this standard shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Service ampacity (main disconnect rating)
−type: range
−unit: A
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
+label: Service Enclosure Type
+type: select
options:
− min: 60
− max: 6000
− setpoints: [60, 100, 125, 150, 200, 225, 300, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000]
−default: deferred
+ - "NEMA Type 1"
+ - "NEMA Type 3R"
+ - "NEMA Type 4"
+ - "NEMA Type 4X stainless steel"
+ - "NEMA Type 4X nonmetallic"
+ - "NEMA Type 12"
+default: "NEMA Type 3R"
```
−## The utility-declared available fault current at the service point shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### Metering equipment stands outdoors where the utility can read and change the meter, so a rainproof Type 3R enclosure is the construction nearly every socket and cabinet ships in; Type 1 serves a socket or cabinet in a dry indoor electrical room where the utility accepts indoor metering; Type 4 and Type 4X serve a washdown or a corrosive site at the cost of a gasketed door and, for 4X, stainless or nonmetallic construction; Type 12 serves an indoor industrial location with airborne dust and dripping liquid. {note}
+### Each enclosure installed outdoors shall be of a type rated for a wet location and shall be mounted with its drain openings open and its conduit entries made through the bottom or through a listed hub.
+
+### Each enclosure installed within 1 mi of a saltwater shoreline, in a chemical processing area, or where the Engineer of Record designates a corrosive location on the drawings shall be Type 4X.
+
+### Each enclosure installed in a location subject to hose-directed water or washdown shall be Type 4 or Type 4X.
+
+### The enclosure of a switchboard, switchgear, panelboard, enclosed switch, or transfer switch that is service equipment is selected under that equipment's product standard. {note}
+
+## Site Conditions {toc}
+
+### Equipment installed outdoors under this standard shall be rated for continuous operation at [[parameter: site-ambient-temperature-maximum]] with direct solar exposure, and where that temperature exceeds the rating basis of the listing the manufacturer shall state the derating applied in the product data.
+
+### A freestanding service rack, its footings, and the pad for a meter-main or a current transformer cabinet shall be designed for the seismic forces of ASCE 7 Chapter 13 for [[parameter: seismic-design-category]], and the footings shall extend below [[parameter: frost-depth]].
+
+### Service equipment shall not be installed where it would be below the design flood elevation stated on the contract drawings, unless the contract drawings show the flood protection provided for it.
+
+# Utility Coordination and the Point of Delivery {toc}
+
+## Service Supply Arrangement {toc}
+
+### The arrangement by which the serving utility delivers the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Available fault current (utility-declared, symmetrical)
−type: range
−unit: kA
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
+label: Service Supply Arrangement
+type: radio
+drawing_ref: "the electrical site plan"
options:
− min: 5
− max: 200
− step: 0.1
+ - "Overhead service drop to a mast or a building attachment"
+ - "Underground service lateral from a utility pole riser"
+ - "Underground service lateral from a utility pad-mounted transformer"
+ - "Secondary connection to a utility transformer in a vault or a room on the premises"
default: deferred
```
−## The service-equipment short-circuit current rating (SCCR / AIC) shall equal or exceed the utility-declared available fault current at the service point.
+### An overhead drop costs least and puts the service point at the weatherhead, where the mast, the clearances, and the drop attachment are the Contractor's concern; a lateral from a pole riser puts the utility's conductors underground from the pole and moves the service point to the riser or to the building, depending on the utility; a lateral from a pad-mounted transformer is the arrangement the utility offers where its distribution is underground, and it brings the transformer pad, its clearances, and its conduit stubs onto the site; a vault or room transformer is the arrangement a dense urban site or a large service needs, and the room, its ventilation, and its access are built to the utility's requirements. {note}
+### Where the service supply arrangement places the utility's transformer, pad, vault, or riser on the premises, its location shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the electrical site plan]], and the clearances the utility requires around it shall be kept free of structures, planting, and parking.
+
+## Service Lateral Furnishing {toc}
+
+### Which party furnishes and installs the service lateral conductors shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Minimum equipment short-circuit current rating (AIC)
−type: range
−unit: kAIC
+label: Service Lateral Conductor Furnishing
+type: radio
options:
− min: 10
− max: 200
− setpoints: [10, 14, 18, 22, 25, 35, 42, 50, 65, 85, 100, 150, 200]
+ - "Utility furnishes and installs the lateral conductors in raceway the Contractor furnishes and installs"
+ - "Utility furnishes and installs the lateral conductors in its own trench or raceway"
+ - "Contractor furnishes and installs the lateral conductors to the utility's terminals"
```
−## The equipment rating is selected as the first standard interrupting rating at or above the utility-declared fault current, so no rating is correct for every project and the field carries no default. {note}
+### Where the utility installs its conductors in the Contractor's raceway, the raceway is built to the utility's detail and the service point is at the utility's terminals, so the premises wiring begins at the service equipment; where the utility trenches and installs its own lateral, the Contractor's work ends at the metering enclosure the utility pulls into; where the Contractor installs the lateral conductors, they are service-entrance conductors under NFPA 70 Article 230 from the utility's terminals onward, and the Contractor owns their installation and their testing. The serving utility's requirements settle which of these it offers, and the choice fixes where the Contractor's conductor scope under [[sync/distribution-feeder-cables]] begins. {note}
−# Submittals {toc}
+### Where the Contractor furnishes the raceway for utility-installed conductors, the raceway shall be of the type, size, number, sweep radius, and depth the serving utility's requirements state, shall be proved clear with a mandrel before the utility is called to pull, and shall be left with a pull line in place.
−## Action Submittals {toc}
+## Utility Application and Charges {toc}
−### The Contractor shall submit the following action submittals for review before fabrication or ordering:
−- Product data for service equipment, meter sockets, CSEDs, and disconnecting means, with listing marks and SCCR ratings.
−- Shop drawings showing the complete service-entrance arrangement, conductor routing, conduit sizes, and equipment dimensions.
−- Service-entrance conductor sizing calculations per NEC 230.42, including adjustment and correction factors.
−- Available-fault-current documentation from the utility and the corresponding equipment SCCR.
−- Evidence of compliance with the serving utility's approved-equipment list and metering requirements.
+### The party that files the utility service application shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Action submittals required
−type: checkbox
+label: Utility Service Application Filed By
+type: radio
options:
− - Product data (service equipment, sockets, disconnects)
− - Shop drawings (service-entrance arrangement)
− - Conductor sizing calculations
− - Available-fault-current documentation
− - Utility approved-equipment compliance
−default:
− - Product data (service equipment, sockets, disconnects)
− - Shop drawings (service-entrance arrangement)
− - Conductor sizing calculations
− - Available-fault-current documentation
− - Utility approved-equipment compliance
+ - "Owner, with the Contractor coordinating construction and inspections"
+ - "Contractor, on the Owner's behalf"
```
−## Informational Submittals {toc}
+### Whichever party files the application, the Contractor shall furnish the utility the load information, the site plan, the equipment submittals, and the schedule the utility requests, and shall attend the utility's site meetings.
−### The Contractor shall submit the following informational submittals:
−- The serving utility's service application and written service approval.
−- Manufacturer's installation instructions for service equipment and meter enclosures.
−- Field test reports for ground-fault protection of equipment, where GFPE is provided.
+### The utility's charges for the service, including the contribution in aid of construction, the line extension charge, and the transformer charge, shall be paid by the party indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Informational submittals required
−type: checkbox
+label: Utility Service Charges Paid By
+type: radio
options:
− - Utility service application and approval
− - Manufacturer installation instructions
− - GFPE field performance test report
−default:
− - Utility service application and approval
− - Manufacturer installation instructions
+ - "Owner, directly to the utility"
+ - "Contractor, included in the Contract Sum"
+default: "Owner, directly to the utility"
```
−## Closeout Submittals {toc}
+### The Owner usually pays the utility directly because the charges are set by the utility's tariff after the application is reviewed and are often refundable in part; carrying them in the Contract Sum fixes the amount at bid, which suits a project whose Owner wants one price and accepts the markup. {note}
−### The Contractor shall submit the following closeout submittals:
−- Record drawings showing the as-installed service-entrance arrangement and conductor routing.
−- Final arc-flash and equipment labeling documentation per NFPA 70E.
−- Warranty documentation for the service equipment.
+## Available Fault Current {toc}
+### The Contractor shall obtain from the serving utility, in writing, the maximum available fault current at the service point and the date of the utility's calculation, and shall furnish the statement with the action submittals.
+
+### Where the serving utility declines to state a fault current, the Contractor shall report the refusal to the Engineer of Record in writing, and the Engineer of Record shall establish the value used for equipment rating under [[sync/short-circuit-study]] from the transformer data the utility does provide.
+
+### The utility-stated available fault current at the service point shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Closeout submittals required
−type: checkbox
+label: Utility Available Fault Current at the Service Point
+type: range
+unit: kA
+drawing_ref: "the one-line diagram"
options:
− - As-installed record drawings
− - Arc-flash and equipment labels
− - Warranty documentation
−default:
− - As-installed record drawings
− - Arc-flash and equipment labels
− - Warranty documentation
+ min: 1
+ max: 200
+ step: 0.1
+default: deferred
+constraint: exact
```
−# Quality Assurance {toc}
+## Coordination Milestones {toc}
−## Service equipment shall be listed and labeled to UL 869A or the applicable individual product standard (UL 414 for meter sockets, UL 67 for panelboards in CSEDs, UL 489 for molded-case breakers, UL 98 for fusible switches).
+### Utility coordination for a new or an upgraded service is complete when the utility has accepted the service arrangement and the metering equipment in writing and has stated the available fault current, and the Submittals section holds the order of equipment until then; the clauses below govern the inspections and the connection that follow. {note}
−## The installer shall be a licensed electrical contractor experienced in service-entrance work and acceptable to the serving utility for metering installations.
+### The Contractor shall request each utility inspection the serving utility's requirements call for at the stage they call for it, and shall not backfill a lateral trench, close a wall, or energize any part of the service before the utility has inspected and released that stage.
−## The Engineer of Record shall verify that the equipment SCCR shown on submittals equals or exceeds the utility-declared available fault current before approving the equipment for fabrication.
+### The Contractor shall request the utility's connection and meter set not less than the notice period the utility's requirements state, and shall have the field acceptance tests of this standard complete, the ground-fault protection performance test recorded where it applies, and the authority having jurisdiction's approval in hand on the date requested.
−## All service equipment shall bear the labeling required by NEC 110.24 for available fault current and the date of calculation.
+# Service Characteristics {toc}
−# Environmental and Service Conditions {toc}
+## Number of Services {toc}
−## The service-equipment enclosure rating shall suit the installed environment.
+### The number of services supplying the building or structure shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
−## Outdoor and exterior-wall installations require a minimum NEMA 3R rainproof enclosure. NEMA 1 general-purpose enclosures are acceptable only indoors in dry locations, and NEMA 12 is the indoor industrial choice where airborne dust and falling liquids are present. Wet, washdown, coastal, or chemically corrosive environments require NEMA 4 or NEMA 4X (stainless or non-metallic). Specifying NEMA 1 for an exterior meter socket is a common and avoidable inspection rejection. {note}
+```datasheet
+label: Number of Services
+type: radio
+options:
+ - "One service"
+ - "More than one service"
+default: "One service"
+```
−## Equipment shall be rated for the ambient temperature range and altitude of the installation.
+### A building is supplied by one service unless one of the conditions of NFPA 70 230.2 applies, such as a fire pump, an emergency system, a legally required standby system, a parallel power production system, a building of a size or load the utility will not serve from one point, or a special permission from the authority having jurisdiction. {note}
−## Conductor ampacity shall be corrected for ambient temperature per NEC Article 310.
+### Where more than one service is furnished, each shall satisfy a condition of NFPA 70 230.2, the condition shall be stated on the one-line diagram, and a permanent plaque at each service disconnect location shall identify every other service supplying the building and the area each serves.
−## The enclosure environmental rating shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+## System Voltage and Phase {toc}
+### The service voltage, phase, and number of wires shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Enclosure environmental rating
−type: radio
+label: Service Voltage and Phase
+type: select
+drawing_ref: "the one-line diagram"
options:
− - NEMA 1 (indoor, dry)
− - NEMA 3R (outdoor, rainproof)
− - NEMA 4 (watertight)
− - NEMA 4X (watertight, corrosion-resistant)
− - NEMA 12 (indoor industrial, dust-tight)
+ - "120/240 V, 1Φ, 3-wire"
+ - "208Y/120 V, 3Φ, 4-wire"
+ - "240/120 V, 3Φ, 4-wire high-leg delta"
+ - "240 V, 3Φ, 3-wire"
+ - "480Y/277 V, 3Φ, 4-wire"
+ - "480 V, 3Φ, 3-wire"
+ - "600Y/347 V, 3Φ, 4-wire"
+ - "600 V, 3Φ, 3-wire"
+default: deferred
```
−## The enclosure rating is an assessment of the actual installation environment made by the Engineer; indoor and outdoor service entrances are both routine, so no rating is correct for every project and the field carries no default. {note}
+### The utility offers the voltages its distribution in the area supports, and the one-line diagram records the one selected: 120/240 V single-phase serves a dwelling or a small load without three-phase motors; 208Y/120 V serves a building whose load is mostly receptacles, 120 V lighting, and small motors; 480Y/277 V carries a large load on smaller conductors and serves 277 V lighting and 480 V motors directly, at the cost of step-down transformers for the 120 V load; 600Y/347 V is the equivalent in the jurisdictions that distribute at 600 V; a three-wire delta service, with or without a high leg, is what some utilities still offer an industrial customer whose load is motors, and its high leg must be identified and kept off the single-phase load. {note}
−# Service-Entrance Conductors {toc}
+### On a high-leg delta service, the conductor with the higher voltage to ground shall be the B phase, shall be identified by an orange outer finish or by orange marking at every termination, and shall be connected to no single-phase load.
−## Service-entrance conductors shall be sized to carry the calculated load per NEC 230.42.
+## Service Rating {toc}
−## Conductor ampacity is determined from the Article 220 load calculation for commercial work, or from NEC Table 310.12 for single-phase dwelling services (which permits an 83% demand factor). The 2023 NEC restructured 230.42 into subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2), clarifying how continuous/noncontinuous load factors and the ampacity adjustment and correction factors are applied — an update that can increase the required conductor size relative to prior editions. {note}
+### The rating of the service, being the rating of the service disconnecting means and its overcurrent protection, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
−## Service-entrance conductors shall not be smaller than required for a 100 A service for a one-family dwelling per NEC 230.79(C).
+```datasheet
+label: Service Rating
+type: range
+unit: A
+drawing_ref: "the one-line diagram"
+options:
+ min: 60
+ max: 6000
+ setpoints: [60, 100, 125, 150, 200, 225, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000]
+default: deferred
+constraint: exact
+```
−## Where aluminum conductors are used, the service-equipment terminations shall be listed for aluminum (AL/CU).
+### The service rating shall be not less than the calculated load of NFPA 70 Article 220 and not less than the minimum NFPA 70 230.79 sets for the occupancy served.
−## Aluminum conductor connections shall be made with antioxidant compound and torqued to the manufacturer's published values.
+### The 320 A setpoint is the continuous rating of a 400 A class self-contained meter socket, and a service built on that socket is rated by the socket rather than by its 400 A disconnect. {note}
−## Aluminum is routinely specified for service conductors on cost and weight grounds, but a copper-only termination on aluminum conductors, or an untreated/under-torqued aluminum connection, produces a high-resistance joint that overheats. Confirming the termination rating is a specification responsibility, not a field assumption. {note}
+## Short-Circuit Current Rating {toc}
−## Conductors installed in conduit shall comply with the conduit-fill limits of NEC Chapter 9, Table 1.
+### Every item of service equipment, every meter socket, and every current transformer cabinet shall have a short-circuit current rating not less than the available fault current the serving utility states at the service point, selected under the product standard for its construction.
−## The service-entrance conductor material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### A meter socket is rated for the fault current it withstands with the utility's meter in place, and the utility's requirements state the socket rating it accepts for each service size; the socket rating is checked against the available fault current exactly as the disconnect is, and it is the item most often found short when a service is upgraded. {note}
−```datasheet
−label: Service-entrance conductor material
−type: radio
−options:
− - Copper
− - Aluminum
−```
+# Service-Entrance Conductors {toc}
−## Copper and aluminum service-entrance conductors are both routinely specified and procurable; the choice turns on installed cost, available raceway size, and the owner's maintenance preference, so the field carries no default. {note}
+## Wiring Method {toc}
−## The conductor insulation type shall be as indicated in the datasheet and shall be listed for the wiring method and for wet locations where the raceway is in a wet location.
+### The wiring method of the service-entrance conductors between the service point and the service equipment, other than the underground lateral, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Conductor insulation type
+label: Service-Entrance Wiring Method
type: select
options:
− - XHHW-2
− - RHW-2
− - THWN-2
− - USE-2 (underground)
− - SEU cable (service-entrance, unarmored)
− - SER cable (service-entrance, round)
+ - "Conductors in rigid metal conduit"
+ - "Conductors in intermediate metal conduit"
+ - "Conductors in electrical metallic tubing"
+ - "Conductors in rigid PVC conduit"
+ - "Conductors in reinforced thermosetting resin conduit"
+ - "Type SE service-entrance cable"
+ - "Type MC metal-clad cable"
+ - "Busway"
+ - "Conductors in a wireway or auxiliary gutter"
```
−## The service-entrance conductor size shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### Rigid metal conduit and intermediate metal conduit carry the conductors with the most protection and are what most utilities require for a mast and for conductors exposed to damage; electrical metallic tubing serves an indoor run where the utility and the authority having jurisdiction accept it; rigid PVC and reinforced thermosetting resin conduit resist corrosion and are nonconductive, at the cost of expansion fittings and of physical protection where exposed; Type SE cable is the arrangement of most dwelling services and costs least; Type MC cable serves an indoor run where the listing marks it for service-entrance use; busway carries a large service from a transformer vault or a room to the switchboard without a pull; a wireway or an auxiliary gutter is the transition between a current transformer cabinet and the disconnect. The utility's requirements and the authority having jurisdiction narrow the list for each project, and the raceway or busway itself is specified under [[sync/raceways-and-conduit]] or [[sync/busway]]. {note}
+### Service-entrance conductors shall be sized, selected, and terminated in accordance with [[sync/distribution-feeder-cables]].
+
+## Routing Rules {toc}
+
+### A raceway or cable carrying service-entrance conductors shall contain no other conductors, other than a grounding conductor or a conductor NFPA 70 230.7 permits in the same enclosure.
+
+### Service-entrance conductors shall be continuous from the service point to the service equipment, and a splice or a tap shall be made only by one of the methods NFPA 70 230.46 permits, in an enclosure or a listed underground splice, with a connector that is listed and marked as suitable for use on the line side of the service equipment.
+
+### Service-entrance conductors that are run within the building ahead of the service disconnecting means shall be run by one of the arrangements NFPA 70 230.6 counts as outside the building, or shall be kept to a length inside the building not exceeding the length indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Service-entrance conductor size
−type: text
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
−default: deferred
+label: Service Conductor Length Inside the Building Ahead of the Disconnect
+type: range
+unit: ft
+options:
+ min: 0
+ max: 25
+ step: 1
+constraint: max
```
−# Overhead Service {toc}
+### Conductors ahead of the service disconnect have no overcurrent protection on the premises side, so every foot inside the building is a fault the utility's protection may not clear; NFPA 70 230.70(A)(1) puts the disconnect nearest the point of entrance without a number, and most authorities having jurisdiction publish the length they accept, commonly between 5 ft and 15 ft measured along the conductors, which the Engineer of Record records in the field for the jurisdiction of the project. {note}
−## Where an overhead service is provided, a weatherhead shall terminate the service-entrance raceway above the service-drop attachment.
+### Where the authority having jurisdiction publishes a shorter length than the datasheet value, the shorter length shall govern.
−## Drip loops shall be formed in the service-entrance conductors at the weatherhead.
+### A service raceway exposed to the weather shall be raintight and shall be arranged to drain, and a raceway carrying service-entrance conductors shall be sealed where it enters a building from underground, and at any other point where NFPA 70 230.8 or 300.5 requires a seal, with a sealing compound or a listed fitting that stops the entry of moisture and gas.
−## The weatherhead and conduit riser carry the service-entrance conductors from the meter up to the utility's service-drop splice. The drip loop and the weatherhead's downward-facing, gasketed openings keep water from tracking into the raceway and the meter enclosure. {note}
+### Service-entrance conductors subject to physical damage shall be protected by rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, Schedule 80 rigid PVC conduit, electrical metallic tubing, or another means NFPA 70 230.50 accepts, from grade to not less than 8 ft above grade and wherever vehicles, equipment, or the public can reach them.
−## The service-drop point of attachment shall be not less than 3.0 m (10 ft) above finished grade at the electrical service-entrance conductors per NEC 230.26.
+### Open conductors and cables of the service shall be kept not less than 3 ft from a window that opens, a door, a porch, a balcony, a fire escape, and a similar location, except above the top of a window.
−## Overhead service-drop conductors shall maintain the minimum vertical clearances above grade, driveways, and roadways established by the NEC and NESC.
+# Overhead Service {toc}
−## The governing minimums are 3.0 m (10 ft) above grade at the service point, 3.7 m (12 ft) above residential driveways, and 5.5 m (18 ft) above public streets and roads. These are utility-side (NESC) clearances that constrain where the attachment and riser can be placed; they must be confirmed against site conditions before the riser location is fixed. {note}
+## Service Mast {toc}
−## The service-drop attachment height shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### Where the service drop attaches to a mast, the mast raceway shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Service-drop attachment height above grade
−type: range
−unit: ft
−drawing_ref: "electrical riser diagram"
+label: Service Mast Raceway Material
+type: select
options:
− min: 10
− max: 30
− step: 1
−default: deferred
+ - "Rigid metal conduit, galvanized steel"
+ - "Intermediate metal conduit"
+ - "Rigid PVC conduit, Schedule 80"
+default: "Rigid metal conduit, galvanized steel"
```
−## The riser conduit material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### Galvanized rigid metal conduit is the mast nearly every utility's requirements call for, because it carries the drop tension and the ice and wind load on the drop without a separate support; intermediate metal conduit is accepted by many utilities for the same duty at lower weight and cost; Schedule 80 PVC serves only where the drop attaches to the building rather than to the mast, so the mast carries no load but its own, and the utility accepts it. {note}
+### The mast trade size shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Riser conduit material (overhead)
−type: select
+label: Service Mast Trade Size
+type: range
+unit: in
+derived: "the raceway fill of the service-entrance conductors and the serving utility's minimum mast size for a drop-supporting mast"
options:
− - Rigid metal conduit (RMC)
− - Intermediate metal conduit (IMC)
− - Rigid PVC Schedule 80
−default: Rigid metal conduit (RMC)
+ min: 1.25
+ max: 4
+ setpoints: [1.25, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4]
+default: derived
+constraint: min
```
−## Rigid metal conduit is the default because it satisfies every serving utility's riser requirement and needs no evaluation for physical damage; IMC and Schedule 80 PVC are accepted by many utilities and are selected where weight or corrosion argues for them. {note}
+### The mast shall be a continuous length of raceway from the service head to the meter socket or the enclosure it enters, without a coupling above the roof line, and shall be secured to the structure with fittings identified for use with a service mast.
−# Underground Service {toc}
+### Only the serving utility's power service-drop conductors shall be attached to the mast, and no communications, cable television, or other utility's conductors shall be attached to it.
−## Where an underground service lateral is provided, the service-entrance conductors shall be installed in raceway or as listed underground cable.
+### Where the point of attachment is higher above the roof penetration than the serving utility's requirements permit for an unbraced mast, the mast shall be braced or guyed to the structure with the hardware and at the angle the utility's requirements state.
−## Underground conductors shall be type USE-2 or installed in raceway with conductors listed for wet locations, since the interior of an underground raceway is a wet location.
+### Where the mast passes through a roof, the roof penetration shall be flashed with a flashing listed or made for a service mast and sealed to the roofing system under the roofing standard that governs that roof.
−## A duct-seal or listed sealing fitting at the building entry is required by code and is frequently omitted; without it, soil gases and condensation track into the service equipment and corrode terminations. {note}
+## Service Head and Drip Loops {toc}
−## The underground raceway material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### The service-entrance raceway or cable shall terminate in a raintight service head listed for the purpose, with the conductors of each potential brought out through separately bushed openings.
+### The service head shall be located above the point of attachment of the service drop, or, where that is impracticable, not more than 24 in. from it, and in either case so that the service-entrance conductors leave the head below it and form a drip loop before they are spliced to the drop.
+
+### The service-entrance conductors shall extend from the service head not less than the length the serving utility's requirements state for the utility's splice, and not less than 36 in. where the utility states no length.
+
+### The service head keeps rain out of the raceway only when water running down the drop conductors meets a drip loop below the head and falls away before it reaches the bushed openings; a head set below the attachment point, with the conductors rising to the splice, drains the drop into the raceway and the meter socket. {note}
+
+## Clearances and Attachment {toc}
+
+### The point of attachment of the service drop shall be not less than 10 ft above finished grade and shall be located so that the drop clears every surface and structure it passes over or beside by not less than the distance NFPA 70 230.24 and the serving utility require for that surface.
+
+### The service drop and the drip loop shall clear finished grade, sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, roadways, and roofs by not less than the vertical distances NFPA 70 230.24 requires for the voltage to ground and the surface, and the Contractor shall set the attachment and the mast height so that the lowest point of the drip loop keeps those clearances.
+
+### The governing clearances are a ladder that rises with the traffic under the drop: 10 ft above grade and sidewalks at the lowest point of the drip loop, 12 ft above a residential driveway or a commercial area without truck traffic, 15 ft for a voltage to ground above 300 V over those areas, and 18 ft above a public street, an alley, a road, or a parking area subject to truck traffic, with a roof clearance of 8 ft that NFPA 70 230.24(A) reduces for a steep roof and for an overhang the conductors pass over on the way to a mast. The drop is the utility's conductor, and the utility's own requirement, where it is greater, sets the attachment height. {note}
+
+### The attachment hardware shall be of the type the serving utility's requirements specify for the drop, fastened to a structural member or to the mast, and not to a fascia, a trim board, or a roof deck alone.
+
+# Underground Service Lateral {toc}
+
+## Lateral Wiring Method {toc}
+
+### The wiring method of the underground service lateral shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Underground raceway material
+label: Service Lateral Wiring Method
type: select
options:
− - Rigid PVC Schedule 40
− - Rigid PVC Schedule 80
− - Rigid PVC in concrete-encased duct bank
− - HDPE duct
− - Intermediate metal conduit (IMC)
− - Rigid metal conduit (RMC)
+ - "Conductors in rigid PVC conduit, direct buried"
+ - "Conductors in rigid PVC conduit, concrete encased"
+ - "Conductors in rigid metal conduit"
+ - "Conductors in high-density polyethylene conduit"
+ - "Conductors in reinforced thermosetting resin conduit"
+ - "Type USE cable, direct buried"
```
−## The raceway material for an underground lateral is normally dictated by the serving utility's service requirements manual and by the burial condition, so no material is correct for every project and the field carries no default. {note}
+### Direct-buried rigid PVC conduit is the lateral most utilities' requirements call for on a customer-furnished raceway, and it permits the conductors to be replaced without excavation; concrete encasement adds crushing protection and permits shallower cover, and is what a lateral under a roadway or a lateral the utility treats as a duct bank gets, under [[sync/underground-ductbank]]; rigid metal conduit serves the riser at a pole and the stub-up at the building, where the conduit is exposed; high-density polyethylene conduit is directionally bored under a paved surface a trench cannot cross; reinforced thermosetting resin conduit serves a corrosive soil; direct-buried Type USE cable costs least and cannot be replaced without re-excavation. {note}
−## Cover over the underground service lateral shall be not less than required by NEC Table 300.5 for the wiring method and installation condition, and shall be not less than the cover indicated in the datasheet.
+### The burial cover of a direct-buried lateral raceway or cable shall be as [[sync/raceways-and-conduit]] requires for the wiring method and the surface above it, the cover of a concrete-encased lateral shall be as [[sync/underground-ductbank]] requires, and neither shall be less than NFPA 70 300.5 requires.
+### The route of the underground lateral shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the electrical site plan]].
+
+### Where a lateral crosses or runs parallel to another underground utility, it shall keep the separation the owner of that utility and the serving utility require, and where it crosses it shall cross as nearly at a right angle as the site permits.
+
+## Lateral Raceway Provisions {toc}
+
+### The number of spare raceways installed with the lateral and capped at each end shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Minimum cover (underground service)
+label: Spare Lateral Raceways
type: range
−unit: in
+unit: each
+drawing_ref: "the electrical site plan"
options:
− min: 6
− max: 48
+ min: 0
+ max: 4
step: 1
+default: deferred
+constraint: exact
```
−## The minimum cover depends on the wiring method: 600 mm (24 in.) for direct-buried USE-2 cable, and 450 mm (18 in.) for rigid nonmetallic conduit at residential and light-commercial services. Schedule 40 PVC at 600 mm (24 in.) depth is the most common arrangement. Rigid metal conduit, IMC, HDPE duct, and concrete-encased ducts each have their own listed cover values, and cover under a building slab or a roadway differs again — so the field carries no default and the NEC table governs the floor. {note}
+### Each lateral raceway shall be installed with a pull line, shall be proved clear with a mandrel not less than 80% of the raceway's inside diameter after backfill, and shall be capped or plugged until the conductors are pulled.
−## Underground lateral routing shall be [[drawing: as indicated on the electrical site plan]].
+### A lateral raceway entering a building shall rise through the slab or the wall at the location and in the arrangement the service equipment manufacturer's drawings show for the conduit entry, and shall be sealed as the Routing Rules article requires.
−# Metering {toc}
+### A continuous warning tape marked for a buried electric line shall be installed in the backfill above each lateral trench at the depth the serving utility's requirements and NFPA 70 300.5 state.
−## A meter socket or metering enclosure shall be provided in conformance with the serving utility's requirements, listed to UL 414, and positioned for the utility's access.
+## Utility Transformer Provisions {toc}
−## The meter socket type — ringless or ring-type, four-jaw or five-jaw, single-position or multi-position — is dictated by the serving utility, not the engineer. Self-contained (socket) metering is used up to 200 A class; larger services and many commercial services use CT metering, where current transformers feed an instrument-grade meter socket. Specifying a socket configuration the utility will not accept forces a field change at the worst possible time. {note}
+### Where the serving utility's requirements assign the transformer pad, the vault, the grounding provisions at the pad, or the conduit stubs at the transformer to the customer, the Contractor shall construct them to the utility's published detail at the location indicated on [[drawing: the electrical site plan]], and shall obtain the utility's inspection of each before it is covered or the transformer is set.
−## Self-contained meter sockets shall be provided with a bypass provision where required by the serving utility to permit meter replacement without interrupting service.
+### The utility transformer pad and the bollards, the clearances, and the access the utility requires around it are the utility's design, and the Contractor builds them to the utility's detail rather than to a project standard; the grounding at the pad is the utility's where the utility specifies it and is otherwise under [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]. {note}
−## For services above the self-contained metering limit, a current-transformer metering compartment shall be provided with CT ratios matched to the utility's revenue meter.
+# Utility Metering {toc}
−## Multi-tenant buildings requiring individual tenant metering shall be provided with gang (multi-position) meter stacks, with each position rated for the tenant service ampacity.
+## Metering Method {toc}
−## Two- through six-position meter stacks serve small multifamily and multi-tenant buildings, each position typically 100 A to 200 A; modular metering centers extend the same arrangement to considerably larger unit counts. Each tenant position is a separate service or a separate disconnect grouping and must be labeled to identify the load served. {note}
+### The method by which the serving utility meters the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
−## The metering type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+```datasheet
+label: Utility Metering Method
+type: select
+derived: "the service rating and the serving utility's metering requirements"
+options:
+ - "Self-contained meter socket"
+ - "Current transformer metering in a current transformer cabinet with a separate meter socket"
+ - "Current transformer metering in a utility metering compartment of the service equipment"
+ - "Multi-position meter stack or modular metering center"
+default: derived
+```
+### A self-contained socket carries the service current through the meter and is the utility's method up to the socket class it accepts, usually 200 A and in many utilities 320 A continuous; above that the utility meters through current transformers, which sit either in a separate cabinet ahead of the service disconnect, with a small socket for the meter, or in a compartment the switchboard manufacturer builds into the service equipment under [[sync/low-voltage-switchboards]]; a meter stack or a modular metering center gives each tenant of a multi-occupancy building a socket and a disconnect in one assembly. The utility's requirements fix the method for each service rating, so the field records their consequence. {note}
+
+### Where the utility meters through current transformers in a compartment of the service equipment, the compartment shall be built under the product standard for that equipment to the utility's requirements, and this standard governs only the utility's acceptance of it.
+
+### Where the utility meters through current transformers in a separate cabinet, the cabinet shall be of the size, construction, and arrangement the serving utility's requirements state, shall be furnished by the party those requirements name, and where the utility does not furnish it the Contractor shall furnish a cabinet from the utility's approved list.
+
+### The current transformers, the meter, the metering conductors between the cabinet and the meter socket, and the sealing of the metering equipment are the utility's, and the Contractor shall furnish the raceway between the current transformer cabinet and the meter socket of the type, size, and route the utility's requirements state.
+
+## Meter Socket {toc}
+
+### The ampere class of each self-contained meter socket shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Metering type
−type: radio
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
+label: Meter Socket Ampere Class
+type: range
+unit: A
+derived: "the service rating and the socket class the serving utility accepts for it"
options:
− - Self-contained socket meter (200 A class)
− - CT metering (current-transformer compartment)
− - Multi-position gang meter stack
−default: deferred
+ min: 100
+ max: 400
+ setpoints: [100, 125, 150, 200, 320, 400]
+default: derived
+constraint: min
```
−## The meter socket configuration shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### The meter socket shall be of the form indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Meter socket configuration
+label: Meter Socket Form
type: radio
+derived: "the serving utility's approved meter socket list"
options:
− - Ringless
− - Ring-type
+ - "Ringless"
+ - "Ring-type"
+default: derived
```
−## The socket configuration is set by the serving utility's approved-equipment list rather than by the Engineer, so the field carries no default and is answered from the utility's service requirements manual. {note}
+### A ringless socket holds the meter with a sealed cover and is the form most utilities now list; a ring-type socket holds the meter with a sealing ring on the socket's own flange and remains the form some utilities require. The utility's approved list carries one or the other for each socket class, so the field records its consequence rather than a choice. {note}
−## The number of metering positions shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### The meter socket bypass shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Number of metering positions
+label: Meter Socket Bypass
+type: select
+derived: "the serving utility's requirements for the socket class"
+options:
+ - "No bypass"
+ - "Horn bypass"
+ - "Lever bypass"
+default: derived
+```
+
+### A bypass lets the utility pull the meter without interrupting the customer: a horn bypass takes a jumper the meter technician fits, and a lever bypass closes the jaws with a handle the utility operates and is what most utilities require above the smallest socket class and on every commercial socket. The utility's requirements name the bypass for each class. {note}
+
+### The number of meter positions furnished for the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
+```datasheet
+label: Meter Positions
type: range
−unit: position
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
+unit: each
+drawing_ref: "the one-line diagram"
options:
min: 1
− max: 24
+ max: 48
step: 1
default: deferred
+constraint: exact
```
−## The meter shall be mounted so the center of the meter is at the height above finished grade indicated in the datasheet.
+### Each socket shall have the jaw configuration the serving utility's requirements state for the service voltage and phase, shall be listed for the available fault current with the fault current rating the utility accepts, and shall carry the utility's sealing provision.
+### Where the service supplies more than one occupancy through a meter stack or a modular metering center, each position shall be marked with the address or the unit it serves, and the house meter position shall be marked as such.
+
+## Metering Equipment Mounting {toc}
+
+### The center of each meter shall be mounted at the height above finished grade or finished floor indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Meter center height above finished grade
+label: Meter Center Height Above Finished Grade
type: range
unit: ft
+derived: "the serving utility's meter mounting height rule"
options:
min: 3
max: 6.5
step: 0.5
+default: derived
+constraint: exact
```
−## Serving utilities publish their own meter-height window — commonly between 1.1 m (3.5 ft) and 1.8 m (6 ft) to the meter center — so the height is read from the utility's service requirements manual and the field carries no default. {note}
+### Each utility publishes the window within which the meter center must fall, commonly between 4 ft and 6 ft, so that its reader and its technician reach the meter without a ladder; the field records the utility's figure for the project, and the Engineer of Record states a value only where the utility accepts a range and the project wants one point in it. {note}
−# Service Disconnecting Means {toc}
+### Metering equipment shall be mounted where the utility can reach it at all times without entering a locked area, a fenced yard without a utility lock, a bathroom, a closet, or a space the utility's requirements exclude, and shall have the working space in front of it that NFPA 70 110.26 and the utility require.
−## A means to disconnect all ungrounded service conductors from the building shall be provided per NEC 230.70.
+### Metering equipment shall be mounted on a wall, a rack, or a pad with the conduit entries, the knockouts used, and the position of the socket relative to the disconnect as the utility's requirements state, and a meter socket shall not be mounted on a surface the utility's requirements reject.
−## The service disconnect is the building's main "off" switch and the dividing point at which utility power can be removed from the premises wiring. It may be a molded-case main circuit breaker (UL 489), a fusible switch (UL 98), or the main section of a service-entrance switchboard (ANSI/NEMA PB 2). {note}
+# Service Disconnecting Means {toc}
−## The service disconnect shall be installed at the nearest practicable point to the entrance of the service conductors, either outside the building or inside nearest the point of entrance per NEC 230.70(A)(1).
+## Service Equipment Type {toc}
−## Excess service-conductor length inside the building between the meter and the main disconnect is unprotected by the service overcurrent device and is a frequent inspection rejection. An exterior disconnect is preferred where practicable because it lets first responders de-energize the building without entering it. {note}
+### The equipment in which the service disconnecting means is installed shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
−## The service disconnect shall be legibly marked to identify it as the service disconnecting means and shall indicate the load served.
+```datasheet
+label: Service Equipment Type
+type: select
+drawing_ref: "the one-line diagram"
+options:
+ - "Switchboard with a main device"
+ - "Power circuit breaker switchgear"
+ - "Panelboard with a main device"
+ - "Enclosed circuit breaker"
+ - "Enclosed fusible switch"
+ - "Meter-main combining the socket and the disconnect"
+ - "Transfer switch with an integral service disconnect"
+default: deferred
+```
−## A single service disconnect should be provided for each service.
+### A switchboard or power circuit breaker switchgear carries a large service and the feeders it splits into, under [[sync/low-voltage-switchboards]] or [[sync/low-voltage-switchgear]]; a panelboard with a main device is the service equipment of a small building, under [[sync/panelboards]]; an enclosed circuit breaker or fusible switch is a single disconnect ahead of separate distribution equipment, under [[sync/enclosed-switches-and-disconnects]], and the fusible switch is the choice where current-limiting fuses are wanted at the service; a meter-main puts the socket and the disconnect in one outdoor enclosure and is the arrangement of most dwelling and small commercial services up to the 400 A class; a transfer switch with an integral service disconnect, under [[sync/automatic-transfer-switches]], removes a separate piece of service equipment where a standby source feeds the whole service. The one-line diagram records the type for each service. {note}
−## Multiple-disconnect groupings shall meet all conditions of NEC 230.71.
+### The service equipment shall be constructed under the product standard for its type, and the clauses of this standard that apply to the service disconnect apply to that equipment in addition to its product standard.
−## NEC 230.71 permits up to six service disconnects in a grouping for certain individual-occupancy arrangements, but a single main disconnect is the clearer and more defensible design for most commercial buildings and avoids ambiguity about which switch removes all service power. Multiple-disconnect groupings are best reserved for genuine multi-occupancy conditions. {note}
+## Number and Grouping of Disconnects {toc}
−## The disconnecting means shall be listed and rated for use as service equipment.
+### The number of service disconnects for each service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
−## The service disconnect device type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
−
```datasheet
−label: Service disconnect device type
+label: Service Disconnect Arrangement
type: radio
options:
− - Main circuit breaker (molded-case)
− - Main circuit breaker (insulated-case or power circuit breaker)
− - Fusible switch
− - Switchboard main section
+ - "Single service disconnect"
+ - "Grouped service disconnects"
+default: "Single service disconnect"
```
−## A molded-case main breaker, a fusible switch, and a switchboard main section are all routinely specified service disconnects; the choice turns on the service ampacity, the interrupting rating required, and whether current-limiting fuses are wanted, so the field carries no default. {note}
+### A single disconnect removes all power from the premises wiring with one operation and is the arrangement of most services; grouped disconnects, of which NFPA 70 230.71 permits not more than six for each service, remove the main device and its cost from a service whose load divides naturally among a few large feeders or occupancies, at the cost of a service that no one switch de-energizes and of the barriers and the marking the grouping requires. {note}
−## The number of service disconnects shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### Where grouped service disconnects are furnished, there shall be not more than six for the service, each shall be installed in a separate enclosure, in a separate compartment, or in a switchboard or switchgear section barriered from the others as NFPA 70 230.71(B) requires, and all shall be grouped at one location.
−```datasheet
−label: Number of service disconnects
−type: radio
−options:
− - Single main disconnect
− - Grouped disconnects (up to six, NEC 230.71)
−default: Single main disconnect
−```
+### Where grouped service disconnects are furnished, each shall be marked to identify it as one of a group and to state the total number of disconnects in the group.
−# Combination Service-Entrance Devices {toc}
+### Where grouped service disconnects are furnished, the combined rating of the group shall be not less than the service rating, and each disconnect shall be rated not less than the calculated load of the portion it supplies.
−## Where a combination service-entrance device (CSED / meter-main) is provided, it shall integrate the meter socket and the service disconnect in a single listed enclosure rated for the service entry method.
+## Location of the Disconnect {toc}
−## A CSED combines the meter socket and the main breaker (and often a small panelboard) in one outdoor- or underground-rated enclosure. It is the standard arrangement for residential and light-commercial services up to about 400 A and reduces the conductor run between meter and disconnect to a minimum. {note}
+### Each service disconnect shall be installed in a readily accessible location, either outside the building or inside the building nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors, at the location indicated on [[drawing: the electrical plans]].
−## A CSED shall not be specified for services above its listed maximum rating.
+### A service disconnect shall not be installed in a bathroom, in a clothes closet, or above a stair in a position that requires a ladder to reach.
−## Services exceeding the CSED range shall use a separate meter socket and switchboard or switchgear arrangement.
+### The working space in front of each service disconnect and the dedicated equipment space above it shall comply with NFPA 70 110.26 for the system voltage and the condition of the space, and no door swing, pipe, duct, or stored material shall reduce that space.
−## Most CSEDs are listed only to 400 A. Specifying a single meter-main for a larger service is a recurring design error that surfaces as a procurement dead-end; above the CSED range the meter and the disconnect become separate assemblies. {note}
+### Service equipment installed outdoors on a wall, a rack, or a pad shall be mounted with its bottom not less than 12 in. above finished grade, or higher where the serving utility's requirements or the design flood elevation state a greater height, and a freestanding rack shall be of hot-dip galvanized steel channel or an aluminum framing system on concrete footings, braced against overturning.
−## The service-entrance assembly type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+## Equipment Ahead of the Disconnect {toc}
+### Only the equipment NFPA 70 230.82 permits shall be connected on the supply side of the service disconnecting means, and the equipment so connected shall be limited to the serving utility's metering equipment, a meter disconnect switch the utility requires, a Type 1 surge protective device, an emergency disconnect, a tap for a fire pump or an emergency system where NFPA 70 230.82 permits it, and the connection of an interactive source where NFPA 70 705.11 permits it.
+
+### Where the serving utility requires a meter disconnect switch ahead of its metering, the switch shall be of the rating, the short-circuit current rating, and the sealing provision the utility's requirements state, shall be marked as not being the service disconnect, and shall be grouped with the service equipment.
+
+### A meter disconnect lets the utility work on its metering with the socket de-energized and the customer's service disconnect untouched; it is required by some utilities above a socket class and offered as an option by others, and it is also one of the forms the emergency disconnect of NFPA 70 230.85 may take. {note}
+
+## Neutral and Grounding Provisions {toc}
+
+### Service equipment at which ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished shall be furnished with a neutral disconnect link in the neutral bus, so that the neutral can be opened for the performance test and the neutral-to-ground insulation of the premises wiring verified.
+
+### The main bonding jumper, the grounding electrode conductor and its termination, the bonding of the service raceways and enclosures, and the intersystem bonding termination at the service shall be as [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]] requires, and the grounded service conductor shall be run to each service disconnect enclosure and bonded there as NFPA 70 250.24 requires.
+
+### The neutral is bonded to the enclosure once, at the service, and nowhere downstream; the neutral disconnect link is what lets the tester prove that no second bond exists before the service is energized, and without it a downstream neutral-to-ground connection goes undetected and defeats the ground-fault protection. {note}
+
+## Emergency Disconnect {toc}
+
+### The emergency disconnect for the service shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Service-entrance assembly type
−type: radio
−drawing_ref: "one-line diagram"
+label: Emergency Disconnect
+type: select
+derived: "the occupancy served under NFPA 70 230.85 and the location of the service disconnect"
options:
− - Separate meter socket and main disconnect
− - Combination service-entrance device (CSED / meter-main)
− - Service-entrance switchboard section
−default: deferred
+ - "Not furnished"
+ - "Service disconnect installed outdoors in a readily accessible location and marked as the emergency disconnect"
+ - "Meter disconnect switch ahead of the service equipment, marked as the emergency disconnect"
+ - "Separate emergency disconnect that is not service equipment"
+default: derived
```
−# Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment {toc}
+### NFPA 70 230.85 requires an outdoor, readily accessible disconnect for a one- or two-family dwelling unit so that firefighters can de-energize the dwelling without entering it, and it recognizes three forms: the service disconnect itself placed outdoors, a meter disconnect ahead of the service equipment, and a listed disconnect that is not service equipment, each with its own marking. For every other occupancy the code requires none, and an Owner who wants one for a building that its fire department will enter is making a choice the field records. {note}
−## Ground-fault protection of equipment (GFPE) shall be provided on each service disconnect rated 1000 A or more on a solidly grounded wye service of more than 150 V to ground but not exceeding 600 V phase-to-phase, per NEC 230.95.
+### Where an emergency disconnect is furnished, it shall be installed outdoors at a readily accessible location, shall be in its own enclosure or operated by an external handle, shall be rated not less than the service rating, and shall be marked with the wording NFPA 70 230.85 prescribes for its form.
−## In practice this means GFPE is required on 480Y/277 V services with a service disconnect of 1000 A or larger. GFPE detects a phase-to-ground fault that is too small to trip the overcurrent device quickly but large enough to do severe arcing damage, and it opens the disconnect on that ground current alone. The most common coordination failure is when the main switchboard is specified by a different section and GFPE is omitted because neither section claimed it. {note}
+### Where the emergency disconnect is not service equipment, its enclosure shall be bonded and its grounded conductor arranged as NFPA 70 230.85 and 250.24 require for a disconnect ahead of the service equipment, and the service disconnect downstream of it shall remain the service equipment.
−## Whether ground-fault protection of equipment is provided shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+# Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment {toc}
+## Whether ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at each service disconnect shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: GFPE provided
+label: Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment at the Service
type: radio
+derived: "the system voltage to ground and the rating of each service disconnect under NFPA 70 230.95"
options:
− - Provided — required by NEC 230.95
− - Provided — elected below the NEC 230.95 threshold
− - Not provided — not required by NEC 230.95
+ - "Furnished"
+ - "Not furnished"
+default: derived
```
−## Whether GFPE is mandatory follows from the service voltage and the disconnect rating, both of which are selected elsewhere in this datasheet; an owner may also elect GFPE below the code threshold. No answer is correct for every project, so the field carries no default. {note}
+## NFPA 70 230.95 requires ground-fault protection of equipment on each service disconnect rated 1000 A or more on a solidly grounded wye system of more than 150 V to ground and not more than 1000 V phase to phase, which in practice is every 480Y/277 V and 600Y/347 V service of 1000 A and above; below that threshold an Owner may elect it, and on a 208Y/120 V system, a delta system, or a fire pump service it is not required and is seldom furnished. The code threshold is applied to each disconnect, so a service split into grouped disconnects each below 1000 A has no requirement at any of them. {note}
−## The GFPE maximum setting shall not exceed 1200 A, and the maximum time delay shall not exceed one second for ground-fault currents of 3000 A or greater, per NEC 230.95(A).
+## Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at a service disconnect, it shall be furnished as part of the service equipment under its product standard, with sensing and relaying listed to UL 1053 where a separate relay is used, and shall open the service disconnect on a ground fault.
−## The GFPE pickup setting and time delay shall be as indicated in the datasheet and shall be coordinated with the project's protective device coordination study.
+## Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished, the pickup setting shall not exceed 1200 A and the time delay shall not exceed 1 s for a ground-fault current of 3000 A or more, and the pickup setting and the time delay shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: GFPE pickup setting
+label: Ground-Fault Pickup Setting
type: range
unit: A
−drawing_ref: "protective device setting schedule"
+drawing_ref: "the protective device setting schedule of the coordination study"
options:
min: 100
max: 1200
− step: 100
+ step: 50
default: deferred
+constraint: exact
```
```datasheet
−label: GFPE maximum time delay at ≥ 3000 A
+label: Ground-Fault Time Delay at 3000 A
type: range
unit: s
−drawing_ref: "protective device setting schedule"
+drawing_ref: "the protective device setting schedule of the coordination study"
options:
min: 0.1
− max: 1.0
+ max: 1
step: 0.1
default: deferred
+constraint: exact
```
−## See [[sync/protective-coordination-study]] for the study that establishes these settings. {note}
+## The pickup and the delay are set by the study performed under [[sync/protective-coordination-study]], which places the service ground-fault curve above the ground-fault and phase protection of the feeders so that a ground fault on a feeder opens the feeder and not the service. A pickup at the 1200 A ceiling with a delay near the 1 s limit gives the most room to coordinate; a lower pickup and a shorter delay limit arcing damage at the service bus at the cost of coordination with the feeders. {note}
−## A field performance test of the ground-fault protection system shall be performed when the equipment is first installed, per NEC 230.95(C), and the written results shall be submitted before energization.
+## Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished at the service and a second level is furnished on the feeders, the two levels shall be coordinated as [[sync/protective-coordination-study]] requires, and where a health care facility is served the second level shall be furnished as NFPA 70 517.17 requires.
−## The 230.95(C) test is a code requirement, not optional commissioning. It verifies, by primary or secondary current injection with calibrated equipment, that the GFPE actually trips at the intended pickup and time delay. Treating it as discretionary commissioning is a code violation. {note}
+## Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished, the Contractor shall have the ground-fault protection system performance tested when it is first installed on site, by primary current injection or by the method the manufacturer's instructions prescribe, and shall record the test in writing and make the record available to the authority having jurisdiction before the service is energized.
−# Emergency Disconnect {toc}
+## The performance test proves that the sensor, the relay, and the trip of the service disconnect work together at the settings in place, which a factory test of the relay alone cannot prove; a service whose ground-fault protection has never been tripped as installed has protection on paper only. {note}
−## For one- and two-family dwelling units, an emergency disconnect shall be installed in a readily accessible outdoor location per NEC 230.85.
+# Surge Protection at the Service {toc}
−## This is a 2023 NEC addition. It requires an outdoor disconnecting means even when the main service panel is indoors, so that first responders can de-energize a dwelling from outside. NEC 230.85 recognizes three arrangements, each with its own required marking: the service disconnect itself placed outdoors, a meter disconnect ahead of the service equipment, and a disconnect that is not service equipment. {note}
+## Where the service supplies a dwelling unit, a dormitory unit, a hotel or motel guest room or suite, a nursing home or limited-care facility patient sleeping room, or any other occupancy for which NFPA 70 230.67 requires surge protection, a surge protective device shall be installed in the service equipment or immediately adjacent to it.
−## The emergency disconnect shall be legibly marked with the wording required by NEC 230.85 to identify its type and function.
+## A surge protective device installed to satisfy NFPA 70 230.67 shall be a Type 1 or a Type 2 device listed to UL 1449, shall be of the ratings, the protection modes, and the installed lead length [[sync/surge-protective-devices]] requires, and where it connects on the supply side of the service disconnecting means it shall be a Type 1 device.
−## The emergency disconnect arrangement shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+## For an occupancy NFPA 70 230.67 does not name, whether a surge protective device is furnished at the service, and its staging with the devices downstream, is settled under [[sync/surge-protective-devices]]. {note}
−```datasheet
−label: Emergency disconnect (one- and two-family dwellings)
−type: radio
−options:
− - Provided — service disconnect at an outdoor readily accessible location
− - Provided — meter disconnect ahead of the service equipment
− - Provided — emergency disconnect, not service equipment
− - Not applicable (occupancy other than one- and two-family dwelling)
−```
+## Where a surge protective device is installed to satisfy NFPA 70 230.67 and is later replaced, the service shall not be re-energized until the replacement is installed, and the service equipment shall be marked to that effect as [[sync/surge-protective-devices]] requires.
−## The arrangement follows from the occupancy and from where the service equipment is placed, so the field carries no default. {note}
+# Identification {toc}
−# Enclosures and Mounting {toc}
+## Each service disconnect shall be permanently marked as the service disconnect, with the marking visible without opening the enclosure.
−## Service-equipment enclosures shall be securely mounted to a structural surface or a freestanding rack rated for the equipment weight and the seismic conditions of the site per ASCE 7.
+## Each meter disconnect, emergency disconnect, and other disconnect ahead of the service equipment that is not the service disconnect shall be marked as not being the service disconnect, with the wording NFPA 70 230.82 and 230.85 prescribe for its form.
−## Outdoor-mounted service-equipment enclosures shall be rated NEMA 3R minimum.
+## Where a building is supplied by more than one service, or by a service and one or more feeders or branch circuits from another building, a permanent plaque at each service disconnect location shall identify all of the other services, feeders, and branch circuits supplying the building and the area each serves, as NFPA 70 230.2(E) requires.
−## The working clearances of NEC 110.26 shall be maintained in front of all service equipment.
+## The maximum available fault current at the service equipment and the date it was calculated shall be field-marked on each item of service equipment other than one supplying a dwelling unit, in accordance with NFPA 70 110.24, with the value taken from the serving utility's statement or from the study performed under [[sync/short-circuit-study]].
−## Working-clearance violations — equipment crowded into an alcove, against a fence, or behind a door swing — are among the most common service-entrance rejections and are dangerous to maintain. The clearance depth, width, and headroom of NEC 110.26 must be reserved on the drawings, not discovered in the field. {note}
+## Where a modification to the service changes the available fault current, the Contractor making the modification shall verify the rating of the service equipment and shall replace the marking with the new value and its date.
−## Service-entrance raceways and enclosures shall be bonded as required for service equipment.
+## Each item of service equipment rated 1200 A or more shall be field-marked with the nominal system voltage, the available fault current at the service equipment, the clearing time of the service overcurrent protective device at that fault current, and the date the label was applied, in accordance with NFPA 70 110.16(B), or with an arc-flash label carrying the incident energy and the arc-flash boundary from the study performed under [[sync/arc-flash-study]], and every item of service equipment shall carry the arc-flash warning NFPA 70 110.16(A) requires.
−## Grounding electrode and bonding details are governed by [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]. {note}
+## Where the service is a high-leg delta, the service equipment shall be marked at the point where the high leg terminates with the voltage of that leg to ground, and the orange identification of the high leg shall be carried through every enclosure in which it is spliced or terminated.
−## The enclosure mounting arrangement shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+## Field markings shall comply with [[sync/equipment-labeling]] for material, lettering, and attachment, and the available fault current marking shall be of a material that lasts in the environment of the equipment.
+# Testing {toc}
+
+## Field acceptance tests shall be performed on the service after installation is complete and before the serving utility is asked to connect it, in accordance with ANSI/NETA ATS and [[sync/electrical-acceptance-testing]], and shall include the tests indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Enclosure mounting
−type: radio
−drawing_ref: "electrical riser diagram"
+label: Field Acceptance Tests
+type: checkbox
options:
− - Surface-mounted on building wall
− - Freestanding on rack or pad
− - Recessed (flush) in wall
−default: deferred
+ - "Visual and mechanical inspection of the service point, the mast or the lateral, the metering equipment, and each service disconnect against the reviewed service arrangement drawing"
+ - "Termination torque verification at the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the service disconnect line terminals, with the applied values recorded"
+ - "Insulation resistance of the service-entrance conductors under the conductor standard before they are connected"
+ - "Phase rotation verification on a three-phase service, from the utility's terminals to the service disconnect"
+ - "Voltage and phasing check at the service disconnect after the utility connects and before any load is closed"
+ - "Neutral-to-ground insulation of the premises wiring with the neutral disconnect link or the main bonding jumper open, confirming one bond at the service"
+ - "Ground-fault protection of equipment performance test by primary current injection, where furnished"
+ - "Operation of the service disconnect, the meter disconnect, and the emergency disconnect through one open and close cycle"
+default:
+ - "Visual and mechanical inspection of the service point, the mast or the lateral, the metering equipment, and each service disconnect against the reviewed service arrangement drawing"
+ - "Termination torque verification at the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the service disconnect line terminals, with the applied values recorded"
+ - "Insulation resistance of the service-entrance conductors under the conductor standard before they are connected"
+ - "Phase rotation verification on a three-phase service, from the utility's terminals to the service disconnect"
+ - "Voltage and phasing check at the service disconnect after the utility connects and before any load is closed"
+ - "Neutral-to-ground insulation of the premises wiring with the neutral disconnect link or the main bonding jumper open, confirming one bond at the service"
+ - "Operation of the service disconnect, the meter disconnect, and the emergency disconnect through one open and close cycle"
+constraint: all_of
```
−# Identification and Arc-Flash Labeling {toc}
+## The insulation resistance test of the service-entrance conductors shall be performed to the method, the voltage, and the acceptance criterion of [[sync/distribution-feeder-cables]], and the tests of the service equipment itself shall be those its product standard lists.
−## Service equipment shall be field-marked with an arc-flash warning label and the available incident energy or required PPE category per NFPA 70E.
+## A service that fails a field acceptance test shall not be presented to the utility for connection, the Contractor shall report the failure to the Engineer of Record within one working day with the measured values, and the cost of the correction and of every repeated test shall be borne by the Contractor.
−## The arc-flash label tells anyone opening the equipment what hazard they face and what PPE is required. At the service entrance the available fault current is at its highest, so the incident energy can be severe; the label is both a safety requirement and a maintenance prerequisite. {note}
+## The Contractor shall be present when the utility connects the service and sets the meter, shall close no load onto the service until the voltage and the phasing have been checked at the service disconnect, and shall record the date and time of energization in the field test report.
−## Each disconnect shall be permanently labeled to identify the load it serves and, where multiple disconnects are grouped, to identify it as one of a group of service disconnects.
+# Installation {toc}
−# Testing {toc}
+## Sequence {toc}
−## Before energization, the Contractor shall verify torque on all service-conductor terminations to the manufacturer's published values and shall document the results.
+### The Contractor shall install the service in the following order: the utility's acceptance of the arrangement and the equipment, the raceway, the pad, the vault, or the mast with the utility's inspection of each, the metering equipment and the service equipment, the service-entrance conductors, the grounding electrode system and its connections under [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]], the field acceptance tests, the authority having jurisdiction's approval, and the utility's connection and meter set.
−## Insulation resistance of the service-entrance conductors shall be tested before energization.
+### The grounding electrode conductor and the main bonding jumper shall be installed and inspected before the service is energized, and no service shall be energized with the grounding electrode conductor disconnected or the main bonding jumper omitted.
−## The service-entrance conductors shall be free of grounds and shorts.
+## Service Equipment and Metering Equipment Setting {toc}
−## Phase rotation shall be verified on three-phase services before connecting downstream equipment.
+### Service equipment, meter sockets, metering enclosures, and meter-mains shall be installed plumb and level, secured to the structure or to a rack with fasteners rated for the weight and for the seismic forces of the site, and with every unused opening closed by a listed closure.
−## The pre-energization tests to be performed shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+### A meter socket shall be mounted so that the meter faces outward, is not shaded by a projection the utility's requirements reject, and is reachable by the utility from finished grade, and the socket shall not be mounted over a window well, a stair, or a landing.
−```datasheet
−label: Pre-energization tests required
−type: checkbox
−options:
− - Termination torque verification
− - Insulation resistance test
− - GFPE field performance test (where provided)
− - Phase rotation verification (3Φ)
−default:
− - Termination torque verification
− - Insulation resistance test
− - Phase rotation verification (3Φ)
−```
+### A current transformer cabinet shall be mounted ahead of the service disconnect in the position the utility's requirements state, with its door swing clear and its sealing provisions accessible to the utility.
−# Installation {toc}
+### Service equipment shall be installed on the housekeeping pad its product standard requires, or, for a wall-mounted enclosure, on a backboard or directly on a masonry or concrete wall with standoff spacers where the wall is subject to dampness.
−## The service entrance shall be installed in accordance with the approved shop drawings, the manufacturer's installation instructions, NEC Article 230, and the serving utility's requirements.
+## Conductor Installation {toc}
−## Service-entrance conductors shall be continuous without splice from the point of delivery to the service disconnect except where splices are specifically permitted by NEC 230.46.
+### Service-entrance conductors shall be pulled, trained, supported, and terminated as [[sync/distribution-feeder-cables]] requires, and the terminations at the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the service disconnect shall be torqued to the equipment manufacturer's published values with a calibrated tool.
−## The length of service-entrance conductors inside the building ahead of the service disconnect shall be kept to the minimum practicable.
+### Conductors of each service shall be grouped in one raceway or cable where the service point offers one set of terminals, and where parallel sets are run each raceway shall contain one conductor of each phase and the neutral.
−## Conductors ahead of the service disconnect are not protected by the service overcurrent device, so every additional foot inside the building is unprotected and increases the fire exposure of an unfused fault. The code intent of "nearest the point of entrance" is to make this length as short as the construction allows. {note}
+### The grounded service conductor shall be identified by a white or gray finish or marking at every termination, and the ungrounded conductors shall be identified by phase with the color scheme used for the premises wiring.
−## Underground raceways entering the building shall be sealed against the entry of moisture, gases, and vermin per NEC 230.8 after conductors are installed.
+## Sealing and Closing {toc}
−## Equipment shall be installed plumb and level.
+### The raceway seals the Routing Rules article requires shall be installed after the conductors are pulled and before the service is energized, and a raceway that passes from an unconditioned space into a conditioned one shall be sealed in the same way against the movement of warm, moist air into the enclosure.
−## Field-installed service-equipment labels and arc-flash labels shall be applied before the equipment is placed in service.
+### Openings around a mast, a raceway, or a cable through a wall or a roof shall be closed and flashed against the weather, and through a fire-resistance-rated assembly shall be firestopped under [[sync/firestopping]].
+### The serving utility's seals on the meter socket, the current transformer cabinet, and the meter disconnect shall not be broken by the Contractor, and where the Contractor must open a sealed enclosure it shall obtain the utility's authorization and have the utility reseal it.
+
# Delivery, Storage, and Handling {toc}
−## Service equipment shall be delivered in the manufacturer's original packaging with listing labels intact and shall be inspected for transit damage on receipt.
+## Meter sockets, metering enclosures, meter-mains, and service hardware shall be delivered in the manufacturer's packaging with the listing marks, the utility approval markings, and the nameplates intact, and shall be inspected for shipping damage at receipt.
−## Equipment shall be stored indoors in a clean, dry, conditioned space until installation; outdoor-rated equipment stored outdoors shall be protected from standing water and covered to exclude construction dust and debris.
+## Equipment shall be stored indoors in a clean, dry space, or where indoor storage is not available, under cover, off the ground, and protected from precipitation, condensation, dust, and physical damage, and an enclosure stored outdoors shall be kept closed with its conduit openings plugged.
−## Equipment shall be handled and lifted at the manufacturer's designated lifting points and shall not be lifted by bus, breakers, or meter jaws.
+## Service equipment delivered before its pad, its room, or its wall is ready shall remain in its packaging until it is set, and an outdoor enclosure set before the conductors are pulled shall be kept closed and sealed against construction dust.
+## Equipment damaged or wetted in transit, in storage, or in handling shall be repaired or replaced as the manufacturer directs and as the Engineer of Record accepts in writing, and a meter socket whose jaws have been wetted or corroded shall be replaced rather than repaired.
+
# Warranty {toc}
−## The manufacturer shall warrant the service equipment against defects in materials and workmanship for the period indicated in the datasheet, and in no case less than one year from the date of energization or substantial completion, whichever is later.
+## The manufacturer shall warrant each meter socket, metering enclosure, meter-main, and item of service hardware furnished under this standard against defects in materials and workmanship for the period indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Warranty period
+label: Manufacturer's Warranty Period
type: range
unit: years
options:
min: 1
max: 5
− setpoints: [1, 2, 5]
+ setpoints: [1, 2, 3, 5]
default: 1
+constraint: min
```
−# Spare Parts {toc}
+## The service equipment itself shall carry the warranty its product standard requires.
−## The Contractor shall furnish spare fuses of each type and rating installed in fusible service equipment, in the quantity required by the project specifications.
+## The warranty period shall commence on the date indicated in the datasheet.
−## For services with field-replaceable trip units or control power components, the Contractor shall furnish the manufacturer's recommended spare-parts list for owner stock.
+```datasheet
+label: Warranty Commencement
+type: select
+options:
+ - "Date of substantial completion"
+ - "Date of energization"
+ - "Date of shipment"
+```
−## The spare parts to be furnished shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+## Commencement at shipment is the manufacturer's usual term and consumes the warranty during construction; commencement at energization or at substantial completion moves the coverage to the period the Owner operates the service, and the manufacturer prices the added months into the equipment. {note}
+## The Contractor shall warrant the installation of the service, including the mast and its flashing, the lateral raceway and its seals, every termination, the mounting of every enclosure, and the field markings, for the project warranty period, and shall correct at its own cost a leak, a failed seal, a loose termination, or a marking that becomes illegible within that period.
+
+## An item replaced under warranty shall be warranted for the remainder of the original period or for one year from the date of replacement, whichever ends later.
+
+# Spare Parts {toc}
+
+## The Contractor shall deliver the spare parts indicated in the datasheet to the Owner before the service is accepted, and shall obtain a signed receipt for them.
+
```datasheet
−label: Spare parts to be furnished
+label: Spare Parts to Be Furnished
type: checkbox
options:
− - Spare fuses (each type and rating, fusible switches)
− - Spare control-power fuses (GFPE/relays)
− - Manufacturer recommended spares list
+ - "One set of fuses of each class and rating installed in a fusible service disconnect"
+ - "One set of control fuses for the ground-fault relay, where furnished"
+ - "One sealing ring or sealing cover of each type installed on the meter sockets"
+ - "One set of keys for every lock on the service equipment and the service rack"
+ - "One pint of touch-up paint matching the finish of each outdoor enclosure"
default:
− - Spare fuses (each type and rating, fusible switches)
− - Manufacturer recommended spares list
+ - "One set of fuses of each class and rating installed in a fusible service disconnect"
+ - "One set of keys for every lock on the service equipment and the service rack"
+constraint: all_of
```
+
+## Spare fuses shall be identical to the fuses installed, shall be delivered in their original packaging, and shall be labeled with the service disconnect designation they serve.
+
+## Spare parts shall be stored in a labeled cabinet in the electrical room furnished by the Contractor, and shall not be stored inside an operating enclosure.